{"id":126,"date":"2012-04-04T06:35:39","date_gmt":"2012-04-04T14:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/?p=126"},"modified":"2012-04-10T06:52:47","modified_gmt":"2012-04-10T14:52:47","slug":"comm-296-blog-post-5-tim-tebow-new-york-a-divine-match-not-so-fast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/2012\/04\/04\/comm-296-blog-post-5-tim-tebow-new-york-a-divine-match-not-so-fast\/","title":{"rendered":"COMM 296 Blog Post #5 – Tim Tebow & New York: A Divine Match? (Not So Fast)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As my good friend Mehrad pointed out in his excellent blog post<\/a> about the UFC and its PR problems, marketing a sport can be a problem. Scandals and concerns about a sport\u2019s safety are all bad. Tim Tebow and his extreme, and somewhat inexplicable popularity, on the other hand, is good. On a complete opposite spectrum from the UFC\u00a0and its problematic image<\/a>, Tim Tebow has been a marketing wunderkind for the NFL.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Tebowing has become an American phenomenon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite pulling off miracle comebacks with his rugged Christian-boy good looks, and stealing the nation\u2019s heart with the Denver Broncos this past season, with the signing of soon-to-be NFL legend, Peyton Manning, by already-a-legend, John Elway, he was made expendable. Tim Tebow has been a galvanizing force everywhere he plays, beginning with his days as a Florida Gator, to his time now as a New York Jet. His jersey sales were second only to bona fide star Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers last year, and he has made millions for the NFL, pulling in new fans who cannot tell apart a touchdown from a fumble. So it only makes sense that his trade to the New York Jets, in the world\u2019s largest football market, can only be a good thing for \u2018Tim Tebow Enterprises\u2019\u2026right? Not so fast.<\/p>\n

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John Elway would let Tim Tebow marry his daughter, but not his Broncos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conventional wisdom states that Tim Tebow moving to a market 10 times the size of Denver\u2019s should get him into the Peyton Manning range in sponsorship money: $10 million. However, the NFL is a different animal entirely \u2013 many of its top earners can to be found squarely entrenched in the smaller fanbases. Peyton Manning earned 8 figures in the NFL\u2019s 10th<\/sup> smallest market, Indianapolis. Brett Favre earned high 7 figures in the NFL\u2019s smallest <\/em>market, Green Bay. Drew Brees earns the big bucks calling New Orleans, the 2nd<\/sup> smallest market, home.<\/p>\n

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Favre (with the Minnesota Vikings) & Drew Brees<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The common theme here is that appeal can only take you so far; one needs to back up market appeal with clutch play to have sustainable legitimacy. Tim Tebow may have had deals, his contract with underwear maker Jockey standing out, before even stepping out to make his first NFL snap, but to truly establish his value as a long-term <\/em>marketing pillar, he needs to (1) become a real starting quarterback and (2) win the Super Bowl, or even just the AFC title. As the agents of instant marketing sensations like Michelle Wie have found out, no matter the flash, ultimately on-field performances are what matters for true return on investments and genuine marketing viability.<\/p>\n

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Michelle Wie has not met expectations; her bottom line suffers as a result<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tim Tebow\u2019s technical ability and his long-term future as a starting NFL quarterback have always been under fire, and for good reason. His throwing always in doubt, and his \u2018football sense\u2019 constantly being questioned, his only inarguable merit seems to be the fact that Tebow simply wins<\/em>. He willed the clearly inferior Broncos to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last season<\/a>, but even that monumental achievement was not enough for a return ticket to INVESCO Field.<\/p>\n

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The beautiful INVESCO Field...no longer Tebow's home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Broncos pitched hard for aforementioned legend Peyton Manning, and got him. John Elway, the man most responsible for Manning\u2019s signing and Tebow\u2019s eventual departure said, \u201cIf there was one guy I want to marry my daughter it\u2019s [Tebow].\u201d<\/a> Yet, he could not show him the door fast enough from the Mile High City \u2013 even marriage appeal can only get you so far.<\/p>\n

[youtube]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zMK9FKMG3Nc[\/youtube]<\/p>\n

Whether Tebow really succeeds on and off the field in New York remains to be seen. He probably received the most media coverage the NFL has ever seen<\/a> for a backup quarterback acquisition, and has been given a massive billboard welcome by Jockey along the famed New York subway. Unfortunately for Tebow if he does not perform, his honeymoon phase will only last so long, and the money can only flow so much. The unconventional, unpolished QB needs to produce, and whether he can do so or not is rightly questioned. All eyes are on the Jets for the 2012-2013 season, and you can bet that this fan\u2019s attention will be right there at kick-off.<\/p>\n

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A billboard for a backup quarterback...only with Tebowmania<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As my good friend Mehrad pointed out in his excellent blog post about the UFC and its PR problems, marketing a sport can be a problem. Scandals and concerns about a sport\u2019s safety are all bad. Tim Tebow and his extreme, and somewhat inexplicable popularity, on the other hand, is good. On a complete opposite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2897,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2897"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions\/136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/enzowoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}